JP4589874B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus that includes an image sensor and generates an image signal by forming a subject image on the image sensor.

  There is a photographing apparatus having a photographing mode called a multiple photographing mode in which a plurality of subject images that are in a moving state are photographed in one image when attempting to photograph a moving subject.

  When this multiple shooting mode is used, for example, the swing trajectory when swinging a golf club can be imprinted in one image like frame advance (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). When shooting using this multiple shooting mode, shooting is performed by intermittently emitting shooting auxiliary light during one exposure, and shooting is continuously performed a plurality of times while continuously emitting light. There is.

  Here, the multiple shooting mode will be described with an example in which shooting is performed by intermittently emitting shooting auxiliary light during one exposure.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing an image obtained by shooting a golf club swinging in the multiple shooting mode. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a light emission pattern for obtaining the image shown in FIG.

  As described above, when light emission is performed a plurality of times with the same light emission amount during one exposure, a plurality of moving images are imprinted in one image as shown in FIG.

  By the way, in the case of shooting a subject as shown in FIG. 1 using the multiple shooting mode, for example, the moment of hitting the ball (portion A in FIG. 1) is taken as a still image, that is, the shooting timing until the shooting timing is reached. Some people would like to blur the golf club's trajectory as if it had a special effect often used on television.

However, in the conventional multiple photographing mode, it is possible to photograph a plurality of subjects in a moving state only with the light emission pattern shown in FIG.
JP 2002-248189 A JP 07-281292 A

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of providing various effects in the multiple imaging mode.

A first imaging device of the present invention that achieves the above object is an imaging device that generates image data by forming a subject image on an imaging element.
This photographing apparatus has a multiple photographing mode in which a plurality of subject images in a moving state are photographed in one image when photographing a moving subject,
An exposure control unit for controlling exposure;
An auxiliary light emitting unit for emitting the photographing auxiliary light,
The auxiliary light emitting section emits light intermittently a plurality of times during one exposure in the multiple shooting mode, and any one of the plurality of light emission is any other It is characterized in that it emits light with an integrated light quantity larger than once.

  According to the photographing apparatus of the present invention, in the multiple photographing mode, any one of the plurality of times of light emission is emitted with a larger integrated light quantity than any other one. Then, since any one time is emitted and photographed with a larger integrated light quantity than any other one time, an image obtained by any one light emission is obtained by other times of photographing. It will be taken more clearly than the image.

  In this way, if one integral light quantity is emitted with a larger integral light quantity than any other time, it will have a more diverse effect on images obtained by shooting in multiple shooting mode. Will be able to.

  As described above, a photographing apparatus capable of providing various effects in the multiple photographing mode is realized.

Here, the auxiliary light emitting unit includes a first light emitting unit capable of continuously emitting pulses, and a second light emitting unit capable of emitting pulses with a larger amount of light than the first light emitting unit,
The auxiliary light emitting unit emits one of the plurality of times of light emission from the second light emitting unit in the multiple shooting mode, and the other light emission is emitted from the first light emitting unit. It may be a thing.

Then, a first light emitting unit capable of emitting pulses continuously, for example, a light emitting unit provided with a light emitting element represented by a light emitting diode, and a second light emitting unit capable of emitting pulses with a larger amount of light than the first light emitting unit. For example, a light emitting unit provided with a light emitting tube represented by a xenon tube is provided in the auxiliary light emitting unit, and the second light emitting unit emits light for any one light emission. It will be better if you keep it.

In addition, the auxiliary light emitting unit includes a light emission number setting unit for setting the number of light emission during one exposure,
It is more preferable that the auxiliary light emitting unit emits light for the number of times set by the light emission number setting unit during one exposure in the multiple shooting mode.

  Then, multiple shootings are performed with the number of times of light emission according to the user's request, and the amount of emitted light for each time is calculated before shooting according to the number of times of light emission set by the light emission number setting unit.

  Here, when the auxiliary light emitting unit increases the integrated light amount, in the multiple shooting mode, by increasing any one of the plurality of times of light emission to a light emission peak more than any other time. Even light emitted with a large integrated light quantity may be emitted with a large integrated light quantity by widening the time width of light emission for any one of the plurality of light emission times.

  For example, if the auxiliary light emitting unit includes a light emitting diode, the light emission peak can be increased by causing all of the plurality of light emitting diodes to fully emit light, or light can be emitted by increasing the time width of the voltage signal applied between the electrodes. You can also widen the time span.

A second imaging device of the present invention that achieves the above object is an imaging device that generates image data by forming a subject image on an imaging element.
This photographing apparatus has a multiple photographing mode in which a plurality of subject images in a moving state are photographed in one image when photographing a moving subject,
An exposure control unit for controlling exposure;
A multiple shot image generation unit that operates in the multiple shooting mode and generates image data representing one image by integrating a plurality of image data obtained by successive multiple exposures;
An auxiliary light emitting unit for emitting photographing auxiliary light,
In the multiple shooting mode, the auxiliary light emitting unit continuously emits light during a plurality of consecutive exposures, and is synchronized with any one of the plurality of exposures. It is characterized by emitting light with a larger amount of light than any one.

  In the first photographing apparatus, the auxiliary light emitting unit emits light a plurality of times during one exposure in the multiple photographing mode. However, like the second photographing apparatus, the auxiliary light emitting unit emits the auxiliary light. The light emitting unit may continuously emit light during a plurality of consecutive exposures, and may emit light with a large amount of light in synchronization with any one of the plurality of exposures. .

  For example, the LED and the xenon tube are used together so that the LED emits light continuously, and the xenon tube emits light in synchronization with any one of a plurality of exposures. Alternatively, a plurality of LEDs may be used and full light emission may be performed only once.

  Here, the multiplex shooting mode is preferably an aspect including a sensitivity switching unit that switches the ISO sensitivity to a lower sensitivity than a normal still image shooting mode excluding the multiplex shooting mode, or in the multiplex shooting mode, It is preferable that the mode includes an aperture switching unit that switches the aperture to a small aperture compared to the normal still image shooting mode except the multiple shooting mode.

  In the multiple shooting mode, a more suitable image can be obtained by making the contrast between the moving subject and the background stand out. In other words, when the light is emitted from the auxiliary light emitting unit while reducing the amount of light applied to the image sensor from the subject side by reducing the sensitivity by the sensitivity switching unit or by reducing the aperture by the aperture switching unit. A plurality of subjects in a moving state become more conspicuous, and a clearer image can be obtained.

   As described above, an imaging apparatus capable of providing various effects in the multiple imaging mode is realized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing an appearance of the digital camera 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  A lens barrel 100 is provided on the front right side of the digital camera 1 shown in FIG. A photographing lens 1021 is built in the lens barrel 100. A finder 101 is provided above the lens barrel 100, and a light emission window 102 is provided laterally to the finder 101 and obliquely above and to the right of the lens barrel. From this light emitting window 102, when it is determined by the system control circuit described later that irradiation of shooting assistance light is necessary, shooting assistance light is emitted toward the subject. A mode dial 103 and a shutter button 104 are provided on the upper surface of the body. In the mode dial 103, a plurality of modes are engraved as switching items, and the switching items include a shooting mode and a playback mode. Further, switching items such as a still image shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode are engraved in the shooting mode. When the mode dial is turned and one of the engraved switching items is arranged so that it matches the △ mark on the body side, the mode at the position of the △ mark is selected. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a display screen 1501 is provided on the back of the body, and an eyepiece window of the finder 101 is provided above the display screen 1501. A power switch 1503 is provided on the lower right side of the display screen 1501. When the power switch 1053 is operated, the digital camera 1 is activated and a through image is displayed on the display screen 1501. A menu is displayed on the display screen 1501 in accordance with the operation of the menu button 1051, and further, processing according to the switching item of the mode dial 103, shooting processing according to the operation of the shutter button 104, and the like are executed.

  In addition, a cross key 1052 for selecting any selection item in the menu displayed on the display screen 1501 when the menu button 1051 next to the display screen 1501 is pressed is also provided on the side of the display screen 1501. Has been deployed. The cross key 1052 is provided with four keys, an up / down / left / right key, and one of the selection items is selected by the operation of the up or down key, and the enter button 10520 in the center of the cross key 1052 is selected. Is operated or when the right key 10521 is operated, one of the selection items is set in the system control means described later. In this example, if the menu button 1051 is operated while the mode dial 104 is switched to the still image shooting mode, the shooting conditions are displayed on the display screen 1501. A selection item called multiple shooting mode is provided in the conditions. When the multiple shooting mode selection item is selected by operating the cross key 1052 and the multiple shooting mode is set in the internal system control means, when the shutter button 104 is fully pressed, the above operation is intermittently performed during one exposure. Light emission is performed from the light emission window 102 and multiple shooting is performed.

  In the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, when the multiple shooting mode is selected by operating the cross key 1052, it is possible to select whether to perform manual multiple shooting or to perform multiple shooting using a program as a submenu. I am also able to do it.

  Here, referring to FIG. 4, when the mode dial 103 is switched to the still image shooting mode, the menu button 1051 shown in FIG. 110 will explain how this is done.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the contents of settable shooting conditions displayed on the display screen 1051 when the menu button 1051 is pressed.

  First, when the menu button 1051 in the operation unit is operated when the mode dial 103 is switched to the still image shooting mode, the operation is received and the image display unit (under the control of the system control circuit 110 (described later)) is received. A number of selection items (only the item “setting” among the selection items is shown in FIG. 4) are displayed in a vertical column. At this time, a cursor that covers the selected item is also displayed on any selected item. When the cursor is placed on one of the selection items by the operation of the down key or the up key of the cross key 1052 and the enter button 10520 is pressed or the right key 10521 is operated, WB (white balance for white balance) Seven selection items relating to shooting conditions such as setting of color temperature are displayed in one vertical row. Among these seven, there is a continuous shooting mode. When the continuous shooting mode is selected by operating the cross key 1052 similar to the above, three continuous shooting modes including a multiple shooting mode are included as submenus of the continuous shooting mode. The copy mode is displayed. Here, when the multiple shooting mode is selected from the sub menu by operating the cross key 1052, selection items such as “program” and “manual” are displayed in a vertical line as the sub menu of the multiple shooting mode. Further, when “PROGRAM” is selected by operating the cross key 1052, four selection items are displayed as submenus of the item “PROGRAM”, and when “MANUAL” selection item is selected, “MANUAL” is displayed. Four selection items are displayed as a sub-menu of items. Here, for example, when “program” is selected and golf shooting is selected, the multiple captured image shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

  “Manual” is selected, and for example, the number of times of light emission is set to 5 times, the exposure time is set to 200 ms, and the light emission timing of each light emission time (the timing of the initial light emission time is half-pressed) is set to 2 ms corresponding to the light emission time. As a result, the image shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained. Further, when the above-mentioned manual is selected, the item “emission balance” is selected, and if it is input by operating the cross key or the like as “fifth”, the fifth integrated light is emitted. Shooting is also being performed. In this manner, the golf club swing trajectory shown in FIG. 1 is shot in a clear manner as if the moment of hitting the golf ball was clearly shot, and the golf swing trajectory so far provided a special effect. It will appear in the image.

  Here, the internal configuration of the digital camera shown in FIG. 3 having such a function will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the digital camera 1 shown in FIG.

  The internal configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, all processing is controlled by the system control circuit 110. 3 are connected to the operation buttons such as the mode dial 103, the shutter button 104, the image display ON / OFF switch 107, the cross key 1052, and the menu button 1051 shown in FIG. When an operation signal due to an operation of at least one of the children is supplied to the system control circuit 110, processing corresponding to the operation of those operators is started. In FIG. 4, the menu button 1051, the cross key 1052, the enter button 10520, and the power switch 1053 are collectively displayed as the operation unit 105.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 1 according to the present embodiment includes a removable storage medium 300. Here, a memory card 300 is loaded in the medium loading chamber 100A and loaded in the medium loading chamber 100A. Since image data representing a photographed image is recorded on the storage medium, a storage medium attachment / detachment detecting means 108 for detecting whether or not the memory card 300 as a storage medium is mounted in the medium loading chamber 100A is provided. It has been.

  Further, although not shown in FIG. 5, a protective door for protecting the surface of the display screen and an image display unit open / close detecting means 109 for detecting opening / closing of the protective door are also provided. Signals from the storage medium attachment / detachment detection means 108 and the image display unit opening / closing detection means 109 are also supplied to the system control circuit 110, and the system control circuit 110 receives these signals and executes processing. It is also.

  Also, the system control circuit 110 instructs the zoom control means 1020 to move the zoom lens in the photographing lens 1021 in accordance with the operation of the cross key 1052 that also functions as a zoom switch, or obtained by TTL distance measurement described later. Depending on the distance measurement result, the distance measurement control means 1030 is instructed to move the focus lens in the photographing lens 1021 to a predetermined position.

  In the system control circuit 110, TTL photometry is performed together with the TTL distance measurement based on an image signal generated by a CCD solid-state imaging device 120 (hereinafter referred to as CCD). In the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, the image data generated by the CCD 120 is supplied to the color temperature measurement circuit 140 via the image processing circuit 140 and the color temperature measurement circuit 141 also measures the color temperature. Yes. Based on the measurement result of the color temperature, the gain of each color amplifier included in the white balance processing unit is set, and a suitable white balance adjustment is performed by the white balance processing unit in the system control circuit 110.

  Further, the system control circuit 110 instructs the exposure control means 1040 to adjust the aperture of the aperture 1041 in accordance with the photometric value obtained by the TTL photometry, and causes the exposure control means to emit the auxiliary photographing light during photographing. It also determines whether it is necessary. Further, the system control circuit 110 determines the shutter time according to the photometric value, notifies the timing generation circuit 121 of the shutter time, and sends the signal corresponding to the shutter time to the CCD 120 to the timing generation circuit 121 during photographing. By supplying the image, a subject image is formed on the photosensitive surface of the CCD 120 with a predetermined amount of light.

  Further, when the system control circuit 110 determines that it is necessary to emit the photographing auxiliary light according to the photometric result, the light emission amount control means 112 provided in the auxiliary light emitting unit 11 is instructed to the LED driving circuit 113 to 3 By driving at least one of the LEDs 1141 to 1143, the auxiliary photographing light is emitted toward the subject.

  Here, an outline of an operation related to photographing of the digital camera having the above-described configuration will be described in order from turning on the power switch.

  First, when the power switch 1053 (see FIG. 3) of the digital camera 1 is turned on, power is supplied from the battery Bt to each part including the system control circuit 110. Then, the imaging process is started by the system control circuit 110 according to the procedure of the entire processing program in the nonvolatile memory 1101. In this example, the power switch 1053 (see FIG. 3) in the operation unit 105 is turned on to suppress the power consumption of the battery Bt, and the system control circuit 110 (the system control circuit 110 is always supplied with Bt power from the battery. For example, when it is detected that the power switch is turned on, power is supplied from the battery Bt to each block via the power control means 111b. Thus, when power is supplied from the battery to each unit, the photographing process is started.

  From here, the configuration will be described in order from the photographing lens 1021 side close to the subject toward the storage medium 300 on which the image signal representing the subject captured by the photographing lens is recorded.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the lens barrel 100 shown in FIG. 3, a photographing lens 1021 such as a focus lens and a zoom lens, and a diaphragm 1041 for adjusting the amount of light are provided. Also, in this example, a lens barrier 1011 for protecting the lens is shown. When the power switch is turned on, the lens barrier 1011 is released, and the photographing lens 1021 is surfaced as shown in FIG. It is configured to be exposed to.

  If the mode dial 103 is switched to the photographing mode when the power switch is turned on, the subject image first formed on the CCD 120 through the photographing lens 1021 exposed on the surface is sent from the timing generation circuit 121. Are output at a predetermined interval (every 33 ms) based on the timing signal. The output image signal representing the through image (hereinafter referred to as a through image signal) is converted from an analog through image signal to a digital through image signal by the A / D conversion circuit 130, and the digital through image signal is further converted into the memory control unit 111a. And is guided to the image processing circuit 140. The image processing circuit 140 converts the RGB through image signal into a YC signal through image signal, which is further controlled by the memory control unit 111a and guided to the image display memory 151, and the through image signal is stored in the image display memory 151. Is remembered. The through image signal for one frame stored in the image display memory 151 is read out by the memory control unit 111a, guided to the D / A conversion circuit 160 and converted into an analog through image signal, and then the image display unit 150. To be supplied. In this example, an image display memory 151 is provided so that new through image signals can be quickly supplied to the image display unit 150 at predetermined intervals, and the through image signals for at least two frames are provided in the image display memory 151. Is stored so that the display timing of the through image on the display screen can be adjusted.

  Here, along with the flow of the through image signal, the operation of each unit will be described in detail along the flow.

  Under the control of the system control circuit 110, an image signal representing a subject image formed on the light receiving surface on the CCD 120 by the photographing lens 1020 in accordance with a timing signal (for example, every 33 ms) from the timing generation circuit 121 is a through image signal. Are output one after another to the A / D conversion circuit 130 in the subsequent stage. The A / D conversion circuit 130 converts the analog through image signal into a digital through image signal, and the through image signal is controlled by the memory control unit 111 a and led to the image processing circuit 140. The image processing circuit 140 separates the R color, G color, and B color signals and supplies them to the color temperature measurement circuit 141. The R, G, and B color signals are displayed on the YC for display by a color conversion matrix. It is converted into a signal and supplied to the image display memory 151 in the subsequent stage. The R, G, B color signals are supplied to the subsequent color temperature measurement circuit 141, and when the color temperature measurement is performed by the color temperature measurement circuit 141, the white balance processing unit in the system control circuit 110 is configured. Each color amplifier is set with a gain corresponding to the measured color temperature, and the white balance of the image signal is adjusted.

  The YC signal is supplied to the image display memory 151 and supplied to the image display memory 151 for storage. The image display memory 151 stores at least two frames of image signals. Of the two frames of image signals, one frame of image signals stored at an old time is D / A converted. The image is guided to the unit 160, converted into an analog signal, supplied to the image display unit 150, and a through image is displayed on the display screen 1501.

  As described above, the system control circuit 110 performs TTL distance measurement, and instructs the distance measurement control means 1030 based on the distance measurement result to always move the focus lens in the photographing lens 1021 to the in-focus point. When the cross key 1052 that also functions as a zoom switch is operated, the zoom control means 1020 is instructed to move the zoom lens in the photographing lens 1021 to a position corresponding to the zoom magnification by the operation of the zoom switch. Therefore, on the display screen 1501, a through image that is always in focus and has a zoom magnification according to the operation position of the cross key 1052 that is a zoom switch is always displayed.

  When the subject on the side to which the taking lens 1021 is directed is displayed as a through image on the display screen 1501 in this way, shooting is performed when the shutter button 104 having two operation modes of half-press and full-press is half-pressed. When the preparation is completed and the button is fully pressed, the shooting process is performed.

  In this embodiment, the system control circuit 110 performs TTL photometry or TTL distance measurement when the shutter button 104 is half-pressed, and an exposure start signal is sent to the timing generation circuit 121 at the full press timing of the shutter button 104 to the CCD solid-state image sensor 120. If the system control circuit 110 determines that the photographing auxiliary light needs to be emitted from the photometric result of the TTL metering, the shutter button is instructed to the light emission amount control means 112 in the light emitting unit 11. In synchronization with the full depression of 104, photographing auxiliary light is emitted.

  Thus, when the photographing light quantity necessary for photographing is ensured regardless of whether the photographing auxiliary light is emitted or not, when the photographing is started, the system control circuit 110 issues an instruction to the timing generation circuit 121, and further, for a predetermined time (shutter time). ), An exposure end signal is supplied to the CCD 120.

  When the timing generation circuit 121 is supplied with an exposure end signal, an analog image signal is output from the CCD 120 to the A / D conversion circuit 130 in synchronization with the exposure end signal. The analog image signal is converted into a digital image signal by the A / D conversion circuit 130 in the subsequent stage, and the digital image signal is further controlled by the memory control unit 111a and supplied to the memory 180 via the bus. When all the image signals composed of all the pixels included in the CCD 120 are stored in the memory 180, this image signal is read out under the control of the system control circuit 110, and the above-described white balance adjustment and Gamma correction is performed. Further, after white balance adjustment and gamma correction are performed on the image signal obtained by emitting the photographing auxiliary light corresponding to the white balance, the image signal is supplied to the image processing circuit 140 via the bus and converted into a YC signal. It is. Further, the image signal composed of the YC signal is supplied to the compression / decompression circuit 190 via the bus, and the image signal composed of the YC signal is compressed and stored in the storage medium 300, here the memory card. In this way, shooting processing is executed in response to the full-pressing operation of the shutter button 104, and the image signal obtained by shooting is compressed and stored in the memory card 300.

  FIG. 4 shows a communication means 1104 that can perform wireless communication with the outside when an antenna is connected to the connector 1105 on the side surface of the camera body via a cable, a display unit 1102 that transmits the operation content to the user, A memory 1103 and the like are also illustrated.

  When the above-described multiple shooting mode described with reference to FIG. 4 is set by a user operation to capture a moving subject, the system control circuit 110 receives the full pressing operation of the shutter button 104 and the timing generation circuit 121. To instruct the CCD 120 to supply an exposure start signal to cause the CCD 120 to start exposure. In the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment, multiple shooting is performed by causing a plurality of moving subjects to appear in a single image by causing a plurality of light emission during a single exposure. That is, in this example, after the system control circuit 110 supplies the timing generation circuit 121 with the exposure start signal and starts the exposure to the CCD 120, the system control circuit 110 instructs the light emitting unit 11 until the CCD 120 supplies the exposure end signal. Multiple shooting (same multiple shooting as in the example of FIG. 1) is performed in which a plurality of moving subjects are imaged on the CCD 120 in a multiplexed manner by intermittently emitting light for the number of times set by a user operation. Yes.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 4, when it is selected that the multiplex shooting mode is performed by “manual”, the number of times of light emission is set in the item “light emission balance” in the “manual” submenu. Is input so that any one of a plurality of times of light emission can be emitted with a larger integrated light quantity than any other one time. In this way, for example, by increasing the integral light quantity at the moment of hitting the golf ball (the portion indicated by symbol A in FIG. 1) and forming an image on the CCD 120, the moment is made to stand out and imaged on the CCD at another light emission time. The trajectory of the swing can be imprinted in one image as if a special effect was given.

  Here, a procedure of processing related to the multiple shooting mode performed by the system control circuit 110 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the photographing process in the multiple photographing mode performed by the system control circuit 110. In FIG. 6, when the mode dial 103 is switched to the still image shooting mode, the menu button 1051 is pressed to select the manual in the multiple shooting mode, and the sub-menu includes the number of flashes, the exposure time, The setting procedure when the light emission timing and the light emission balance are set is also shown as a pre-process of the process when performing multiple shooting.

  In step S601, it is determined whether or not the multiple shooting mode shown in FIG. 4 is set. If the multiple shooting mode is not set in step S601, the process proceeds to No and is determined to be the normal shooting mode, and the process of this flow is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S601 that the camera is in the multiple shooting mode, the process proceeds to the Yes side, and in step S602, the user is inquired on the display screen about the number of times of light emission during one exposure. If the number of times of light emission is set to, for example, 5 times by a user operation in step S602, the process proceeds to the next step S603, and inquires the exposure time on the display screen. If the exposure time is set to, for example, 200 ms in step S603, the process proceeds to the next step S604, and the user is inquired of the light emission timing including the light emission time of each light emission time on the display screen. If a single light emission time is set to 2 ms, for example, by a user operation in step S604, each light emission time is set to 2 ms, and the exposure time (200 ms) and the number of times of light emission (5 times) are set with the first light emission timing as the full-press timing. ) And the light emission timing of each light emission time except the first time are set. In step S605, the user is inquired about the light emission balance on the display screen. This light emission balance means which one of the plurality of light emission times to increase the integrated light amount. For example, if it is set to five times, the fifth light emission amount is larger than the light emission amount from the first to the fourth light emission. The light emitting unit 11 emits the light.

  When all the settings are completed, the process proceeds to the next step S606, and it is determined whether or not the shutter button 104 is half-pressed. If it is determined in step S606 that the button is half-pressed, the process proceeds to the Yes side, and TTL photometry (AE) and TTL distance measurement (AF) are performed in the next step S607. Further, the process proceeds to the next step S608, and in step S608, the light emission amount of the photographing auxiliary light for each light emission time is calculated according to the field luminance and the subject distance. When it proceeds to step S609 and it is determined that the release button 104 is not fully pressed, the process proceeds to No and the processes from step S607 to step S609 are repeated. If it is determined in step S609 that the shutter button 104 has been fully pressed, the process proceeds to the Yes side, and in step S610, the timing generation circuit 121 is supplied with an exposure start signal toward the CCD 120 to cause the CCD 120 to start exposure.

  Further, the process proceeds to step S611, and the light emitting unit 11 is caused to emit light according to the number of times of light emission with the light emission amount calculated in step S608. In this way, light emission is automatically performed with a larger integrated light quantity than other times when the set light emission time is reached. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S612, and it is determined in step S612 whether or not the number of times of light emission set in step S602 has been reached. If it is determined in step S612 that the set number of light emission times has not been reached, the process proceeds to No, returns to step S611, and repeats the processing from step S611 to step S612. If it is determined that the number of times of light emission set in step S612 has been reached, the process proceeds to step S613, where the timing generation circuit 121 is supplied with an exposure end signal toward the CCD 120, and an image signal is output from the CCD 120, thereby ending the processing of this flow.

  In the present embodiment, the system control circuit 110 and the timing generation circuit 121 correspond to the exposure control section referred to in the present invention, and the light emitting section 11 corresponds to the photographing auxiliary light emitting section referred to in the present invention. The menu button 1051, the cross key 1052 (right key 10521), the enter button 10520, and the image display unit 151 having the display screen 1510 correspond to the light emission number setting unit according to the present invention.

  7 and 8 are diagrams showing a light emission pattern when light is emitted according to the flow shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a light emission pattern in a case where all three LEDs are fully lit in order to increase the integrated light quantity in any one light emission time (light emission indicated by symbol P). The light emission pattern in the case where the light emission time width (t1> t0) is increased in order to increase the integrated light quantity in any one light emission time is shown.

  When processing is performed in accordance with the flow procedure of FIG. 6, light emission can be performed so as to increase the integrated light quantity of any light emission as shown in FIGS. You can have it. For example, if the light emission balance is set to the fifth time, the light emission patterns shown in FIGS. 7B and 8C are obtained.

  As described above, a photographing apparatus capable of providing various effects in the multiple photographing mode is realized.

  In the multiple shooting mode, when the ISO sensitivity is switched to a lower sensitivity than the normal still image shooting mode other than the multiple shooting mode and the amount of light emitted from the auxiliary light emitting unit is increased, the subject can be made more prominent. it can.

  In this case, for example, photographing is performed by reducing the sensitivity by supplying a control signal to a variable gain amplifier for sensitivity adjustment in the A / D conversion circuit 130 (or a CDS portion (not shown) in front of the A / D conversion circuit). Sensitivity is adjusted, or a photographing signal is adjusted by supplying a control signal to the CCD solid-state imaging device.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure to which a procedure for reducing sensitivity is added.

  The flow is the same as that in FIG. 6 except that a step for setting sensitivity is added to the four steps from step S6015 and steps S6052 to S6056.

  If it is determined in step S601 that multiple shooting is to be performed, the process proceeds to the Yes side, and the ISO sensitivity is switched to a lower sensitivity in step S6015 than in a normal still image shooting mode excluding the multiple shooting mode. In subsequent steps S602 to S605, the same processing as in FIG. 6 is performed, and in step S6052, the field luminance is measured (AE). In this flow, when it is determined in step S6054 that shooting can be performed within the maximum light emission amount of the LED 114 when causing the light emitting unit 11 to emit light, if it is determined that it is impossible, the process proceeds to No and the process proceeds to step S6056. Then, the sensitivity is set higher than the sensitivity set in step S6015, the process returns to step S6052, and the processes from step S6052 to step S6056 are repeated. In this way, the effect of the photographing auxiliary light is maximally obtained by adjusting the photographing sensitivity. That is, the amount of light applied from the subject side to the light receiving surface of the CCD 120 is reduced, and the subject in a moving state is shot more clearly each time the light is emitted. This is good.

  Instead of switching the sensitivity to a low sensitivity, the aperture 1041 may be switched to a small aperture so that the exposure control means 1040 (see FIG. 5) adjusts the aperture diameter of the aperture 1041 to reduce the amount of light given to the CCD 120. .

  Furthermore, even with the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide variations in the effect of multiple shooting, but the light emission power of the LED is still smaller than that of a xenon tube. Although the emission power can be increased by increasing the number of LEDs, a xenon tube may be added in addition to the LEDs.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the second embodiment, and is a diagram illustrating a configuration in a case where a light emitting unit 11A including a Xe (xenon) tube is added. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of multiple imaging that can be performed in the case of the configuration of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, an Xe (xenon) tube driving circuit 115 and an Xe tube 116 driven by the Xe tube circuit 114 are added.

  With the configuration shown in FIG. 10, when the light emission shown in FIG. 7 is performed, the light of the portion indicated by the symbol P can be emitted to the Xe tube 116 side in the light emitting unit 11 </ b> A.

  Further, in the configuration of FIG. 10, multiple shooting can be performed by a plurality of continuous exposures as shown in FIG. In that case, the LEDs 1141 to 1143 emit light continuously, and the system control circuit 110 instructs the timing generation circuit 121 to repeatedly supply the exposure start signal and the exposure end signal to the CCD 120. It is also possible to store the image data obtained by the exposure times in the memory 180 in an overlapping manner. The system control circuit 110 and the timing generation circuit 121 correspond to the exposure control unit according to the present invention, and the system control circuit 110 and the memory 180 correspond to the multiple photographed image generation unit according to the present invention.

  Further, when the light emission pattern shown in FIG. 11 is obtained, the configuration shown in FIG. 5 may be used without using a xenon tube. In that case, for example, three LEDs 1141 to 1143 are used by using three. Two LEDs out of a certain LED may continuously emit light, and any one full light may be emitted.

  If more LEDs are provided and at least one of them emits light, a light emission pattern with a different integrated light quantity can be obtained for each light emission or exposure, and multiple shooting can be performed with further variations in the light emission pattern. Can be performed.

  As described above, a photographing apparatus capable of providing various effects in the multiple photographing mode is realized.

  In the present embodiment, an LED is exemplified as the light emitting element, but the light emitting element may be an organic EL.

It is a figure which shows the image which image | photographed the place which is swinging the golf club by multiple imaging | photography mode. It is a figure explaining the change of the state of the emitted light quantity at the time of using LED. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the digital camera 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the content of the imaging condition displayed on the display screen 1051 when the menu button 1051 is pushed. FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram showing an internal configuration of the digital camera 1 of FIG. 3. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of imaging processing in a multiple imaging mode performed by a system control circuit 110. It is a figure which shows the light emission pattern when light emission is performed by the flow shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the light emission pattern when light emission is performed by the flow shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which added the procedure which reduces a sensitivity. It is a figure which shows 2nd embodiment, Comprising: It is a figure which shows a structure at the time of adding the light emission part provided with the xenon tube. It is a figure explaining the example of the multiple imaging | photography which can be performed when it is the structure of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 100 Lens barrel 101 Finder 102 Light emission window 103 Mode dial 104 Shutter button 105 Operation part 1051 Menu button 1052 Four-way key 10520 Decision button 10521 Right key 1053 Power switch 107 Image display ON / OFF switch 110 System control circuit 120 CCD solid Image sensor 130 A / D conversion circuit 140 Image processing circuit 141 Color temperature measurement circuit 11 11A Light emission part 112 Light emission amount control means 113 LED drive circuit 1141-1143 LED
115 Xe tube drive circuit 116 Xe tube

Claims (5)

In a photographing apparatus that forms an image of a subject on an image sensor and generates image data,
This photographing apparatus has a multiple photographing mode in which a plurality of subject images in a moving state are photographed in one image when photographing a moving subject,
An exposure control unit for controlling exposure;
An auxiliary light emitting unit for emitting the photographing auxiliary light,
The auxiliary light emitting unit emits light intermittently a plurality of times during one exposure in the multiple shooting mode, and any one of the plurality of times of light emission is any other An imaging device characterized in that it emits light with an integrated light quantity larger than once. The auxiliary light emitting unit includes a first light emitting unit capable of continuously emitting pulses and a second light emitting unit capable of emitting pulses with a larger amount of light than the first light emitting unit,
The auxiliary light emitting unit emits one of the plurality of times of light emission by the second light emitting unit in the multiple shooting mode, and the other light emission is emitted by the first light emitting unit. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographing apparatus is a thing. A light emission number setting unit for setting the number of light emission during one exposure by the auxiliary light emission unit;
2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary light emitting unit emits light for the number of times set by the light emission number setting unit during one exposure in the multiple photographing mode.   The auxiliary light emitting unit emits light with a large integrated light amount by increasing the light emission peak of any one of the plurality of times of light emission more than any other time in the multiple shooting mode. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The auxiliary light emitting unit emits light with a large integrated light amount by widening a time width of light emission in any one of the plurality of light emission times in the multiple photographing mode. The imaging device according to claim 1.

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